RFK Jr. & Mary Kennedy911 Calls Show History of Domestic Strife

5/27/2012 4:29 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and wife Mary Kennedy had a turbulent relationship long before she committed suicide, and just-revealed 911 records show that cops had to repeatedly calm things down.

Police reports obtained by the NY Daily News show the estranged couple called 911 over a dozen times in the last few years ... most notably in May of 2011, around the time RFK went public with his new love interest -- actress Cheryl Hines.

In one incident Bedford cops found the couple outside in the midst of a "domestic disturbance" with "books and papers strewn about the area." Three hours later police returned again to find RFK locked out of his house.

Just a few months prior police were summoned to the home while Mary Kennedy was having an "emotional breakdown" ... the officer on scene said he found RFK in his bedroom trying to calm Mary down.

There are at least a dozen other 911 calls cited in the reports which required police presence at the couple's Westchester home.